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Salem business Journal

november 2006

Oregon Agriculture is a Good investment Oregon Agriculture: Katy Coba, Director, Oregon Department of Agriculture Last month, I was asked to comment on the theme for this year’s World Food Day– “investing in agriculture for food security.” For my money, the theme is both timely and appropriate. And it’s not just about money. Investment in agriculture can take the form of making sure the industry is at the table when important policy decisions are made. Linking agricultural investment with food security may not be obvious to all Oregonians. After all, there doesn’t appear to be any shortage of food products at the grocery store these days. But consumers should not take the abundant and affordable food supply for granted. A majority of that food is produced either locally or domestically, and we can’t afford to let that production slip. on by population growth in Oregon and the U.S., we know that agriculture cannot compete on the basis of land values. When an acre of productive farm land can be sold for development for as much as $250,000 an acre, it would be easy for local and domestic agriculture to defer to producers in other countries. But there is tremendous value in keeping that land in agricultural production. We need to start thinking about investing in agriculture to keep it viable in Oregon. We need to consider its impact on our environment, our quality of life, and the way Oregonians want our state to look. Looking ahead to the next several decades, for the sake of my children and future grandchildren, I am concerned about where our food is going to come from. I do not want Oregon or the United States to be dependent on foreign sources of food like we are now dependent on foreign sources of oil. infrastructure available at a cost that allows us to be competitive. Whether it is making sure our highways can accommodate food- hauling trucks or our Columbia River can accommodate the ships that carry agricultural commodities overseas, it is wise to invest dollars now to secure an effective distribution system for Oregon agriculture. As we continue to see pressure brought Salem Firm to hold Computer network Security Summit Oregon agriculture is a player in feeding the rest of the world. You can find Oregon agricultural products not just locally or domestically, but in international markets. Oregon also provides food for humanitarian efforts and is responsible for 63 percent of all direct donations to the Oregon Food Bank. There are a multitude of reasons for ensuring the viability of Oregon agriculture, and investing in its future. Investing in our rural communities is a good start. Rural development in Oregon is dependent on agriculture, even though many communities are doing what they can to diversify their local industries. Still, there is no doubt that agriculture will continue to be a critical part of rural Oregon’s economy. It is true that five of the top six agriculture- producing counties in Oregon are in the Willamette Valley, with Marion County ranked number one. But the flip side is that rural Oregon is more dependent on agriculture. BY MiChAel PATriCk O’COnnOr Salem’s TTJ Computer Services will hold a Network Security Summit at the Red Lion Hotel located at 3730 Market Street NE on November 29th from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. and trying to send the information off to someone who you don’t know.” Cummings contends spyware is a big resource that can consume the Internet pipe. “People just say my Internet’s slow, my Internet’s slow. Most of the time we go in there and find that their network is dirty with some of these features,” Cummings told the Salem Business Journal. Oregonians need to challenge themselves on why this investment needs to be made. Where does your food come from and where do you want your food to come from fifty years from now? If you are uncomfortable with the thought of most of that food coming from overseas, ask yourself what can we currently do as a state to support agriculture to make sure we can get locally-grown food fifty years from now? I believe the answers are clear. TTJ Computer Services has been in business for 26 years and the event is designed to apprise local business owners of ways to meet government compliance issues (e.g. HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley and Homeland Security) while also addressing computer network security threats and other ID security issues. Aninvestmentinagriculturalinfrastructure would be an investment in rural Oregon. Moving agricultural products to market is absolutely critical. When you realize that 80 percent of what we produce in Oregon leaves the state and 40 percent moves into the international marketplace, we absolutely need to have the transportation Both Kelley and Cummings caution business owners not to rely on security devices that might be appropriate to personal or home usage and then opt to utilize the same products in an office network environment. According to TTJ Business Services Consultant Brian Kelley, the firm specializes in helping small business owners combat everything from computer viruses and spyware to phishing and social engineering or pretexting. Registration for TTJ Computer Services Network Security Summit is underway. Early registration before November 15th costs $20.00 per person. After that date, the cost to attend is $30.00 per person. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Kelley stresses that when a business computer network has spyware or something on it that slows machines down, the efficiency of employees is compromised and billable hours can be lost at an alarming rate. For more information on the event you can visit the following website: www.ttj. com/summit9, call TTJ Computer Services at (503) 363-2693X2006 or rsvp@ttj. com. TTJ President Chris Cummings equates spyware to “a big gorilla on your back that is trying to watch what you’re watching

Arbuckle Costic Architects Announce Certifications

Arbuckle Costic Architects, Inc. of Salem is proud to announce that two staff members, Associate and Senior Interior Designer Lisa Mance, IIDA and Intern Pete Kanyer, recently received certification as LEED® Accredited Professionals. This certification from the U. S. Green Building Council signifies that the recipient has successfully demonstrated knowledge of the green building design and construction industry and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) v2 Green Building Rating System, Resources and Process required to be awarded the title of LEED® v2 Accredited Professional. Associate and Senior Project Architect Clayton Vorse, AIA, will be completing t he testing for accreditation by the end of October and will be the third LEED®

Accredited Professional on Arbuckle Costic Architects’ staff.

Arbuckle Costic Architects has designed two facilities specifically for LEED® certification, Linus Pauling Middle School for the Corvallis School District (the application for Silver-LEED® certification is currently pending with the U. S. Green Building Council) and Courthouse Square County Offices and Transit Mall in downtown Salem which received Bronze- LEED® certification. Arbuckle Costic Architects also participated in the LEED® process for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) for their new police academy, and during the firm’s tenure as the Local Architectural Liaison consultant for the City of Salem on the Salem Conference Center project.